Method of shaving employing an aqueous solution of dextran

ABSTRACT

Compositions are provided for assisting in shaving which contain dextran. The dextran substantially reduces the razor friction and also acts as a toner for the skin. In the method of this invention, the dextran containing composition which may be in the form of a clear liquid, gel, cream, lather or foam is applied to the skin to be shaved. The unwanted hair is then shaved off with a razor in a conventional manner.

United States Patent 1 Herb [ Dec. 11, 1973 METHOD OF SHAVING EMPLOYING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF DEXTRAN [75] Inventor: John R. Herb, Easton, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Pharmachem Corporation,

Bethlehem, Pa.

221 Filed: Apr. 29, 1970 21 Appl.No.:33,071

2,779,708 1/1957 Russell 424/49 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Sagarin, Cos. Sci. & Tech. lnterscience Pub., N.Y. 1957, pp. 432-434, 708

Primary Examiner-Meyers: Albert T. Assistant Examiner-Donald B. Moyer Attorney-Paul and Paul [57] ABSTRACT Compositions are provided for assisting in shaving which contain dextran. The dextran substantially reduces the razor friction and also acts as a toner for the skin. In the method of this invention, the dextran containing composition which may be in the form of a clear liquid, gel, cream, lather or foam is applied to the skin to be shaved. The unwanted hair is then shaved off with a razor in a conventional manner.

2 Claims, No Drawings BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention is concerned with compositions and a method for shaving hair.

2. Description of the Prior Art Hair is removed from various parts of the body such as the face, underarms and legs. The most commonly used method to remove this hair is to shave it off with a razor. The use of a razor to remove hair is relatively simple. However, considerable problems are encountered in shaving. Shaving can be very uncomfortable and even painful if the hair to be removed is relatively tough or if the adjacent skin tissue is tender and sensitive. As a result of shaving, the skin tissue is often left in an open, porous, irritated condition and has to be given further after treatments with after shave lotions and the like to recondition it. The closer the shave, generally more painful will be the shaving process and the more adverse the side effects.

Since certain parts of the body, for example, a mans face is shaved at least once and often twice a day it has been a long standing problem to reduce the pain and discomfort associated with shaving. It has been recognized that a substantial part of the discomfort and pain is due to razorfriction as the razor is drawn across the skin to be shaved. Various methods and compositions have to heretofore been suggested to reduce the discomfort encountered in shaving. The most widely used type of compositions for shaving are those based on aqueous solutions of soap. The aqueous soap solutions wet out and lubricate the hair and skin. The decrease in razor friction, however is only marginal and the soap has a tendency to dry out the skin during shaving and leave the skin tissue in a dried out uncomfortable condition. These soap preparations have been made in various forms such as gels, lathers, creams and most recently aerosol foams, but even the more modern aerosol foams still only meet with marginal success in reducing the discomfort encountered in shaving. The soap gels, or as they are better known, the brushless shaving creams, are sticky and esthetically uncomfortable to use. In addition, they are difficult to remove from the skin after shaving. The lathers and foams do not retain the moisture on the hair and rapidly tend to break down during shaving. All of the methods wherein the lathers or foams are used have a further disadvantage that the shaving assistant when applied to the skin is opaque and therefore hides the surface of the skin of the shaver. Accordingly, if the skin surface to be shaved has any scar tissues, pimples, lumps etc., these can be easily nicked and once nicked, will bleed profusely. The nicking of these surface imperfections both increases the time required for shaving and considerably distract from the cosmetic effect desired to be obtained by shaving the skin.

More recently, it was suggested to use various types of polymeric products either by themselves or as additives in the more conventional soap based shaving preparations. The polymeric additives theretofore suggested were generally either acrylic type polymer or silicone type polymer. It was suggested for example, in Pye, U. S. Pat. No. 3,072,539 to use aqueous solutins of various types of high molecular weight polymers of acrylamide, copolymer thereof with acrylic acid and functional derivatives thereof as shaving assistants. Numerous suggestion were also made to use the silicone type polymers in shaving preparations. Typical of these suggestions are for example, Harrison, U. S. Pat. No. 3,136,696 which suggests compositions containing among other things, methylphenyl polysiloxane fluid and a dimethyl polysiloxane fluid; Erickson, U. S. Pat. No. 3,178,352 which suggested a combination containing mineral oil and organo silicone fluid as a shaving assistant; and Bishop et al, U. S. Pat. No. 3,298,919 which teaches a combination of lauric acid, glycerine, triethanolamine and certain specified types of silicone fluids. It was even suggested in the art to use a combination of polymers of the type noted above. Fainer, for example, in U. S. Pat. No. 3,314,857 suggested a composition which contained a polymeric siloxane and a polymer of the acrylic series. The materials which have heretofore been suggested have proven to be inefficient in at least one aspect and accordingly have not been widely accepted for use as shaving assistants. The products for the most part were aboutequivalent to the aqueous soap based products with regard to reducing razor friction. Some of the product reduced friction somewhat more than the soap based materials, but the amount of razor friction and the inherent discomfort associated therewith was still quite considerable. The primary advantage of certain of these products was that they were somewhat more compact and more easy to use. A further problem encountered with these polymeric materials was that certain of the products, especially the silicone containing products, could not be used on a daily basis. These products had a type of sensitizing effect on the skin whereby they could occasionally be satisfactorily used but became somewhat uncomfortable to use on succeeding days or on a regular basis. An additional disadvantage of the polymeric materials heretofore suggested, especially the silicone based materials, was that the cost of these materials was somewhat high.

When the older soap based materials as well as the more recently suggested polymeric materials were used for shaving the razor friction inherent in the shaving process still left the skin in an open sensitized condition. Accordingly, certain men, especially men with sensitive skin, were required to use after shave lotions and the like to close the pores. This additional step further added to the cost and time required for shaving.

An additional problem encountered, particularly with the soap based shaving preparation, was that when hard water was used in the shaving process the efficiency of the products was even further reduced. For example, in the shaving processes when hard water was used and a soap based shaving preparation was used, the hard water broke the foam and even precipitated an insoluble hard water soap scum. An especially acute problem was encountered when the only adequate supply of water for shaving purposes was salt water, for example, when the shaver was on a small boat or the like. The conventional shaving preparations were almost useless if applied along with salt water.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the afore mentioned problems and difficulties encountered with the prior art composition and methods of shaving.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a method and composition for reducing the razor friction and the inherent discomfort encountered in shav- It is an even more specific object of this invention to provide a composition for both improving the quality of the shave and also for simultaneously toning the shaved surface.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide compositions for shaving which can be used successfully in hard water and salt water.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become further apparent hereinafter from a continued reading of the specification and sub-joined claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects of this invention have been achieved by providing shaving compositions which contain an aqueous solution of dextran. The dextran both substantially reduces the razor friction and simultaneously tones the skin.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The shaving compositions of this invention contain an amount of dextran which is effective in substantially reducing the razor friction. The exact amount of dextran employed will vary depending upon the particular grade of dextran utilized and the other components comprising the composition.

Dextran is a linear water soluble glucose polymer in which the terminal units of one chain are in chemical union with members of adjacent chains to form a network structure. It is believed that it is entirely made up of D-glucose units and that there is a cross linkage for every repeating unit of five glucose molecules and 1,6 linkages within each repeating unit. Dextran is found naturally in the carbohydrate slimes which originate from sugar syrups such as are in found in the crystallization tanks of sugar refineries, from fermenting vegetables and dairy products. Dextran is also produced by the action of certain strains of chain forming cocci on succrose. These cocci are classified as: family Coccaceae, tribe, Streptoccocea, genus, Leuconostoc species L-mesenteroides and L-dextranicum. Dextran has an emperical formula of (C H O Natural dextran can have a molecular weight of from about 4,000,000 to 40,000,000. The dextran polymer can be partially hydrolized to an average molecular weight of from 4,000 upto any range below the molecular weight of the natural grade of dextran.

All of the various grades of dextran from the relatively low molecular weight grades to the very high molecular weight natural grades can be advantageously used in the compositions of this invention. In general, however, the amount of a particular grade of dextran required for a given reduction in razor friction will vary in reverse proportion to the molecular weight of the dextran.

In general, if it is desired to primarily increase the moisture retention properties of a shaving composition without a substantial reduction in the razor friction, as little as 0.1 to 2 percent of dextran based on the total weight of the composition is added. If the optimum results with regard to obtaining reduced razor friction are desired as well as improved moisture retention, an amount of from about 5 percent of dextran based on the total weight of the composition is added. Amounts in excess of 15 percent can be added, if desired, however there is generally not a corresponding increase in the desired properties obtained with the excess amounts. It should be appreciated, however, that when referring to compositions this is intended to refer to the composition as applied to the face. If the composition is to be supplied as a concentrate and then diluted before being used, the concentrate should contain an excess amount of dextran, for example, from about 15 40 percent and more preferably about 32 35 percent by weight of dextran so as to compensate for the dilution factor so that the composition as applied to the skin will contain from about 5 15 percent dextran. The concentrates containing the 32 35 percent are gels which can be advantageously used as both concentrates to be diluted before application to the skin or as lubricants for direct application to the razor blade to reduce razor friction.

The compositions of this invention can be prepared in different forms depending upon the preference of the shaver. The preferred composition for use in this invention, both from a point of simplicity of preparation and from a point of ease of using the preparation, are the compositions which consist essentially of from about 5 15 percent of an aqueous solution of dextran. These solutions will be clear, slightly viscous amber colored solutions. The solutions generally have sufficient viscosity that can be applied to the face and will remain in place during shaving. However, if desired, thickening agents can be used to further increase the viscosity. Such thickeners include the usual thickeners for aqueous compositions such as the carboxymethyl celluloses and the sodium alginates. In addition, the usual additives included for esthetic reasons can be incorporated in the composition of this invention such as perfumes, and coloring agents. It is also possible to include lower aliphatic alcohols such as ethyl alcohol in the compositions and also to incorporate menthol for the purpose of imparting cooling properties to the shaving compositions. It is of some advantage to protect the composition by including a bactericide. The clear solutions of dextran have many advantages including being easy to apply and also being clear, the areas to be shaved are visible to the shaver.

The compositions of this invention can also include the shaving additives employed in the shaving preparations heretofore utilized. Certain men, for example, prefer to have a foamy type shaving preparation as opposed to a clear liquid. These foamy type preparations can readily be obtained by including in the compositions soaps or other lather foaming components which were utilized in the prior art. The dextran still remains the effective agent for reducing the razor friction while the soap preparations are primarily used to produce the lather. The use of a lather in this particular composition is primarily for the purpose of satisfying the psychological feeling of the shavers who have for years been using a lather material for shaving. The lather, of course, is not required when the dextran is utilized as the shaving assistant.

Alternatively, the compositions of this invention can also be prepared in gel] form or as creams or in any of the other forms heretofore used for shaving. Concentrates can also be prepared which can be diluted immediately before being used.

The compositions of this invention are applied to the skin which preferably has previously been wet out with water. It is, however, not essential that the skin be wet out in order to obtain a satisfactory shave. In addition,

equally good results are obtained in shaving using either hot or cold water.

The dextran containing compositions, when in the liquid form, can be applied to the whole surface of the skin to be shaved in a manner customarily employed for the application of after shave lotions. Thehair is then shaved off in theconventional manner using a razor. Because of the highly effective properties of the compositions of this invention in reducing razor friction, it is possible to apply a small supply of the material to the razor and then draw the razor across the skin. In this manner, the composition is simultaneously applied to the surface to be shaved while the hair is shaved off. After shaving, the face is preferably rinsed with water and dried.

There are many advantages to the dextran containing compositions of this invention. Dextran, as noted above, substantially reduces the razor friction so that little or no discomfort is encountered in shaving. Using the compositions of this invention, closer shaves can be obtained then were heretofore possible. Men with heavy beards who were accustomed to shaving twice a day can now obtain a sufficiently close shave that they need to shave only once a day. The reduction of the razor friction also substantially reduces wear of the razor. Itis not usual to obtain three or four times the useful life from a razor using thecompositions of this invention as compared with the conventional soap base compositions.

Dextran is completely innocuous to the skin and accordingly, does not cause any irritation of the shaved skin. Unlike certain of the silicone based materials, it can be used on an every day basis without any adverse side effects.

A highly surprising and beneficial skin toning effect is also obtained when the dextran compositions of this invention are used for shaving. The dextran exerts a mild astringent effect on the skin. During shaving, the dextran closes the pores and prevents bleeding from minor nicks and scratches. Unlike the conventional septic stick, no pain is encountered when the dextran compositions stops the bleeding. In fact, often minor nicks and cuts are not even noticed during shaving since no visible bleeding appears and no pain is encountered. With regard to cuts and nicks, it should be noted that because of the improved lubricity of the razor, due to the dextran in the compositions, that there are considerably fewer accidents during shaving.

The mild astringent effect of the dextran on the skin simultaneously tones and conditions the skin during shaving. The skin acquires a feeling of firmness which is highly satisfying and gives a highly desirable sensation to the skin. No after treatment is required using the dextran shaving compositions. In fact, the dextran shaving compositions can, if desired, be applied between the shaves so as to brace the skin similar to that of a conventional after shave. However, unlike the conventional after shaves which impart at best a transitory feeling to the skin, the dextran solutions impart a feeling which will last for hours.

A very important advantage of the dextran containing shaving compositions of this invention is that they are almost inert to conditions which normally adversely effect the quality of the shave obtained with the shaving compositions heretofore available. The shaving compositions of the prior art had to be used with hot water or otherwise they were highly ineffective. Hot water is not always readily available. In addition, some men prefer to shave with cold water because of the invigorating effects of the cold water on the skin. The dextran containing compositions of this invention, on the other hand, work well with either hot or cold water. In fact, the compositions of this inventioncan be used without the use of any additional water aside from the water in the composition itself. t

The quality of the shave obtained with the convenl tional shaving compositions is also adversely effected by the hardness of the water employed in shaving. When soft water is used with soap based compositions, considerable amounts of lather are produced. However, if hard water is used with these compositions, little lather is produced and this is quickly broken down by the minerals in the water. Soaps, in fact, can be precipitated by the hard water as a water insoluble hard water scum.

The dextran containing compositions, on the other hand, are not effected at all by hardness of the water. Hard water can be used in shaving without any adverse effects on the qualiy of the shave. The compositions of this invention are so inert to the composition of the water employed that even salt sea water can be used in place of fresh water. In fact, it appears that in some aspects, the salt water may have some advantages.

In conclusion, the dextran containing composition exhibit a unique combination of properties. The compositions very remarkably reduce the razor friction, substantially increase the razor blade life and simultaneously tone and condition the skin during shaving. The compositions are also relatively inert to factors which normally adversely effect the quality of conventional shaving preparations.

The following examples are given by way of further illustration of this invention and are not intended to limit in any way the scope of the sub-joined claims. All percentages and parts referred to in the examples are on a weight basis unless otherwise specified.

EXAMPLE 1.

Shaving compositions were prepared by dissolving various amounts of dextran in water. The dextran employed was obtained by the action of Leuconostoc mesenteroides B 512 F on succrose. Each of the samples was adjusted to the viscosity of the sample containing 20 percent by weight of dextran and coloring was added to each sample so that all the samples had a uniform amber color. A blank sample was prepared containing coloring and thickening but no dextran. The samples were subjectively evaluated by a group men using the samples to shave their beards. Each man evaluated each sample and rated it from 0 to 10, with 0 being very poor and 10 being excellent. Each man further evaluated the product containing 15 percent weight of dextran against the commercially available product he was accustomed to using in shaving. In all cases, it was reported that the dextran product was highly superior to the commercially available product currently being used by the tester. The percent of dextran in each sample and the average rating for each sample was as follows:

TABLE 1 Dextran Average Rsating DOC 4 1.0 3.5 5 3.0 4.4 6 5.0 7.8 7 10.0 8.5 8 15.0 10 9 20.0 l l0 blank 0 It was the opinion of the test panel that the samples having the lower amounts of dextran, for example, 0.1 3 percent did not exhibit a particularly marked reduction in razor friction but shaving was made considerably more comfortable because of a better retention of moisture in the beard during shaving which tended to further soften the hair making it easier to be removed. The panel was unanimous in that the blank sample was not effective and that samples 8 and 9 which contain 15 and 20 percent of dextran respectively gave the best results and were for all intents purposes indistinguishable.

All of the samples exhibited some skin toning effect with the relative effect being approximately directly proportional to the concentration of the dextran in the composition.

EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE 3 Lather producing compositions were prepared. These compositions were foamed with the use of the gas propellant 1,2-dichloro-l ,l ,2,2-tetrafluoroethane. Certain of these compositions contain only the conventional soap components and other compositions contain various amounts of dextran of the type used in Example l. The compositions were prepared as follows:

TABLE 2 Percent by weight Samplenumber 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Trlethanolamine stearate 8 8 8 1O 10 10 Triethanolamlne soap of coeoanut 2 2 .IIIIIIIIIIII'iFib ifJ eta;'saasiawa zvamaed' with regard i6 ifs effect on improving shaving. The samples were evaluated in related groups, that is samples 1, 2 and 3 were evaluated as the first group, samples 4, 5 and 6 were evaluated in the second group and samples 7, 8 and 9 were evaluated in the third group. in each group, the sample without the dextran gave the least satisfactory results. The samples with 1 percent dextran were better primarily in that the compositions had better moisture retention. The samples with 15 percent dextran were remarkably superior to the other related samples in both reducing razor friction and in toning the skin.

EXAMPLE 4 The dextran composition containing 15 percent by weight prepared in Example 1 was evaluated as a shaving assistant using the cold water, hard water (800 PPM hardness) and salt sea water. Using these conditions, the results were approximately equivalent to the results obtained using hot, soft water.

The aerosol soap composition prepared in Example 3, sample I was evaluated under the same conditions. The results, however were remarkably different. The sample worked reasonably well with hot, soft water, but poor to very poor results were obtained when cold water, hard water and salt sea water were used in place of the hot, soft water.

EXAMPLE 5 EXAMPLE 6 A gel was prepared by dissolving 35 percent by weight of dextran in water to produce a material having the consistency of vasoline. This material could be applied directly to the skin without the use of water and this manner would definitely assist in the shaving operation. A particularly simple, efficient method to use this composition was found to be to apply it to the edge of the razor and then draw the razor across the skin. As the razor was drawn across the skin, a very thin layer of the composition was simultaneouls applied to the skin which reduced the razor friction. This method was convenient and would be especially useful in situations where a supply of water was not readily available. However, it was found that it did not give satisfactory results as when water was used in the shaving operation.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of shaving hair from skin which comprises the steps of applying to the skin a film of an aqueous solution containing 0.l to 15 percent by weight of dextran having a molecular weight from about 4,00040,000,000 which is effective to reduce razor friction, and thereafter shaving the hair off with a razor.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the aqueous solution contains from 5 l5 percent by weight of dextran. 

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the aqueous solution contains from 5 - 15 percent by weight of dextran. 